Tank and The Bangas steals spotlight from Cold War Kids at spring concert

Erica Goldish, Contributing Reporter

Indie rock band Cold War Kids headlined the first concert ever held in Devlin Fieldhouse, rocking out with a mixture of classic hits and songs from its newest album, “Hold My Home.” The California natives brought passionate vocals to the show and readily interacted with the crowd.

Devlin Fieldhouse was packed with excited Tulane students. The atmosphere was cool, mysterious and smoky from several machines. As the fog began to fade and the lighting switched from red to blue, the band appeared, dressed in neutral blues and whites emphasizing its hipster demeanor.

The group started with some of its more popular songs such as “All This Could Be Yours,” “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “First.”

The members of Cold War Kids met each other in Los Angeles in 2004. The band stumbled on its name when bass guitarist Matt Maust was traveling in Budapest and he saw statues that had fallen over after the fall of communism, which alludes to the Cold War.

“Hold My Home” is the latest album release from Cold War Kids. The single “First,” debuted in February of 2015, and reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, the band’s first number one hit. Cold War Kids have opened for acts such as Metallica and are performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Middle of the Map Fest, Pemberton Music Festival and Grizzly Festival.

Lead singer Nathan Willett announced that the band would be playing a new song called “Hot Coals.”

“The song was so energizing and had a great beat,” sophomore Olivia Poletti said. “The band blends the rock and alternative genres really well. It was so cool that they played it especially for us live.”

New Orleans natives Tank and The Bangas opened for Cold War Kids, mixing rhythmic soul, spoken word, funk and pop into its sound. Not only are its songs intriguing, but the band members are vibrant on stage, dancing and shaking their hair and energizing the crowd. Some moments of vocalist Tarriona Ball’s performance seemed to channel Nicki Minaj circa 2010.

“Tank and The Bangas are one of the most quintessential New Orleans bands I’ve ever seen and it’s so great to be able to see them for free opening for Cold War Kids,” freshman Deidre Crean said.

The band brought an inexplicable positive vibe into Devlin Fieldhouse. Ball was constantly interacting with the crowd, encouraging the audience to sing back and clap along. It felt like Tank and The Bangas were overflowing with enthusiasm to be performing at Tulane and especially in New Orleans.

Cold War Kids crushed its show, however the real star of the night was Tank and The Bangas.

Tank and The Bangas will perform Saturday at French Quarter Fest.

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